If I were writing for IDW, I'd write him the same way I'd write any veteran Optimus: as a crusading force of nature that truly believes in "freedom is the right of all sentient beings." In a galaxy of compromise and concessions, he's the guy that draws the line, and God help you if you cross it. Interspersed with modern stories about him, I'd include flashback story arcs explaining how he got to be like this, where his beliefs stemmed from, why he's so uncompromising. I don't think that the core of the character is freedom, it's love for his fellow man. The "freedom is the right of all sentient beings" is an outgrowth of this love.

My idea of rebooting Optimus as a character would be controversial all around, as it would flirt with, if not wholeheartedly embrace, the unpopular...and I'm preeeeettttty sure Hasbro (if not much of the fan base) would tell me to F.O. if I tried to get it past them.

1) In my take, Optimus Prime and Orion Pax would be two completely separate individuals. One WAS the character we all know and love, millions of years ago; the other, in the present, is on his way to BECOMING that guy. How does that work, exactly? And why do I saw "was", past tense, with reference to the first guy? Well, that brings me to my second point, heh-heh...

2) Because Optimus Prime was one the First 13...until Unicron got a hold of him in final battle against the Primes. The Matrix would not have existed yet, so in order to save Cybertron from an enemy against which they were clearly outmatched, Optimus made a deal with the Giant Space Robot Devil - which Unicron was happy to agree to, since unknown to Optimus at that point, the seeds of corruption among the Primes, and by extension Cybertron, had already been planted. Big U said "Fine, I'll bring you back when I need you," and rendered Optimus dormant deep within his Dark Energon-flooded bowels for millions of years to come, leading the rest of Cybertron (which in this version would have already had a small but growing populace of Transformers under the guidance of the Primes) to believe that Optimus Prime perished inside Unicron. Thus Optimus' heroism became the stuff of legend, going so far as to heavily inspire one young Cybertronian in particular...

3) Orion Pax, who here basically physically resembles Animated Optimus (complete with fire-engine alt), with a personality that falls somewhere between Animated Optimus and BW Primal. Naturally, this will create one mother of a conflict when Orion Pax ultimately finds himself axe-to-sword with the 'bot who was once his hero...and who now, charred black with blazing purple eyes and brandishing an equally fiery sword, calls himself Nemesis Prime. Oh, and given what a millions-of-years bath in Dark Energon is likely to do, don't expect Nemesis to be redeemed from the ceaseless rampage of death and destruction he particularly revels in anytime soon...usually to a tune that goes something like this:
-Victim: "Please, sir! I beg mercy! Let me go free!"
-Nemesis: "Very well. Freedom IS the right of all sentient beings."
-[sound of sword swinging, making contact]SHHHHNK!
-Other Victim: "You...you said you'd free him!"
-Nemesis: "And I did."

So yeah, Nemesis Prime by way of Darth Vader, and Trukk IS Munky to some extent.

I'd be down with having him barely appear, being this legendary iconic figure who we only ever see from the perspective of those that idolise him.

Failing that, maybe a guy who's exhausted, worn down and lost after countless years of fighting the Decepticons, but has his fighting spirit reignited over the course of the comics because of the human allies?

He needs to be the bot that actually inspires those around him, and not just because he holds the title of Prime. It needs to be the antithesis to Megatron, which pisses off Megs even worse, as he rules through brute force, cunning, and fear. Deep down, he knows he can never do what Prime can. He knows Prime has to be eliminated at all costs, lest his own troops get sick of his shit and defect.

Optimus needs to be, well, an optimist. You can have the Autobots on the losing end of the war for millennia, but still in it just enough to make victory possible. Optimus needs to be that force that holds the Autobots together and believe they can overcome the Decepticons.

You want to do that fallen Optimus angle? Do Nemesis Prime. Make the Autobots face a dark, merciless mirror image of Prime. Let that serve the role.

I’d also find it refreshing if Prime wasn’t so self-sacrificing. Prime’s a war leader, and the head of a political movement. I’d rather see him as an expert strategist who figures out other solutions than, “I’m going to face this alone, and probably die.” I’m sorry, but for a leader who’s been alive for millions of years, he sure makes a lot of reckless calls. Fix that.

I would like to see him as a wandering hero. Probably quit the military due to ideological differences. He shows up on a whim, helps where he can, and rides off into the sunset like some old cowboy.

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I think that would be the best way to depict a post-war Optimus - he's a guy who can't walk away from people who are suffering, so he keeps fighting. I could also see him as a Nazi Hunter type, tracking down and killing Decepticon remnants who escaped justice, long after the war is over.